Of course, the government will have to ensure that all domestic cats are inoculated (immunised) against the disease that they’re going to spread amongst feral cats.
I have no idea how they’re going to target just feral cats with an artificially created germ while avoiding all the other native wildlife species about which they are so desperately concerned and which they say is being wiped out by the dreaded feral cat.
If the plan is put into action it is liable to backfire extremely badly. They realise they have to do a lot of work on this in order to make it work but just thinking about it to me indicates a desperation and a hatred for the feral cat, which they put there in the first place.
Mr Hunt, the environment minister, has called for a survey to study how to use a virus to eradicate feral cats. Professor Woinarski, the co-author of a study into the impact of the feral cat on native species says that a virus was “probably the long-term solution that we’re looking for.”
He also states that: “it may take 10 or 20 years to develop such a system. In the meantime species will disappear, mammal species will disappear.”
He admits however that people aren’t aware of the magnitude of the problem and that he thinks that the Australian native mammals simply can’t cope. Note that he thinks this might be the case. It does not know.
As I understand it, the study estimates there are 15,000,000 feral cats in Australia with each killing an average 5 animals a night. Once again I stress that these are estimates. Based on these estimates the Australian government appear to be giving the go-ahead to slaughter the entire population of feral cats in Australia with a virus while ensuring that all other species of animal including the domestic cats are safe.
It smacks of madness to me. What do you think?
Every now and then, periodically and routinely the Australian authorities wheel out the usual diatribes and rants about the feral cat and how savage and effective they are at killing native species. They flounder in trying to find a solution.
What about a mass, well coordinated and well funded trap-neuter-release programme across the entire country? That would at least be humane and I suggest it would also be more effective. The timetable would certainly be within the 20 years mentioned to carry out mass extermination through what I seems like germ warfare.
hoping this picture will share because it says it all really
Woody, one day someone will hunt you to extinction and what a happy day that will be for us so called morons.
Oh I can hardly wait!
This is terrible! How can anyone think such a cruel plan is acceptable. Human beings caused the problem of feral cats, but as always it’s the cats who are blamed.
I hope it’s not too long before the arrogant cruel selfish part of the human race is wiped out. Maybe Nature will create a virus to do just that, kill off the heartless supposed to be humans and leave the compassionate caring ones to enjoy the world and share it with the creatures who were here before us.
I agree that this will make a lot Australians annoyed or worse. But the authorities are intent on killing the feral cat and many Australian citizens agree.
They fail to see the immorality and nonsense of their strategy. Australian people created the feral cat so they have an obligation to remedy things in a humane manner.
They have lost their marbles (UK expression meaning gone mad).
Hi Woody, how are you? Hope you are keeping well 😉 Please try and engage your brain and stop being so angry and biased. Humans have hunted some species to extinction which is a great shame because we now regret it. I am thinking of the buffalo, for example, which was hunted to near-extinction. Are you proud of that? Was it a good thing to do?